Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Welcome to Day 8 of the SECRETS OF MOON AT NINE BLOG TOUR, featuring Moon at Nine – a timely new YA novel from humanitarian and award-winning author Deborah Ellis. Each stop on the 2-week tour will feature revealing posts, a chance to win a copy of the novel, and a chance to enter the grand prize giveaway!

Gay Rights in Iran and Worldwide

By Deborah Ellis

Moon At Nine deals with what happens to a teenaged girl who falls in love with another girl. In any country, at any time, this would be cause for concern, since the world is not yet a place fully accepting of differences. In l988 Iran, where the novel takes place, it is a situation that can have deadly consequences.
Human Rights Watch and Iranian human rights organizations have estimated that, since l979, over 4000 lesbians and gays in Iran have been put to death.
Lesbians and gays in Iran today deal with entrapment, harassment, being dumped into psychiatric hospitals and subjected to the lash. Stigma is so great against being gay that there is often no safe place to turn. In the words of Ali, a gay Iranian in exile, quoted in the Human Rights Watch report 'We Are A Buried Generation', "When your family does not accept you and wishes the worst for you, what can you expect from society?"

Ali's sentiments could be repeated in every country around the world—some more than others.
Being gay is against the law in over 70 countries. Sometimes the punishment is a year or two in prison. Sometimes it is a lifetime behind bars.
Seven countries still have the death penalty for gays and lesbians - Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Republic of Sudan, Yemen, Iran, and parts of Nigeria and Somolia.
Yet, even in difficult places, there are reasons to hope. Faegheh Atashin, also known as Googoosh, is one of Iran's top pop singers. She promotes gay rights in her new music video to the song Behesht (Heaven). The video is about a woman in love with another woman. It has been watched by many Iranians over the internet or via illegal satellite, with the response being largely positive.

Moon At Nine is based on the true story of a teenaged girl who falls in love in the l980s. It is a story that happens in every country, in a world that could be kinder to young love. After all, we were all young once, and love is something to celebrate.

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Enter below to win a copy of Moon at Nine!

***Stop by Manga Maniac Café tomorrow for the next stop on the SECRETS OF MOON AT NINE BLOG TOUR and another chance to win!***

Fifteen-year-old Farrin has many secrets. Although she goes to a school for gifted girls in Tehran, as the daughter of an aristocratic mother and wealthy father Farrin must keep a low profile. It is 1988; ever since the Shah was overthrown, the deeply conservative and religious government controls every facet of life in Iran. If the Revolutionary Guard finds out about her mother’s Bring Back the Shah activities, her family could be thrown in jail or worse.
The day she meets Sadira, Farrin’s life changes forever. Sadira is funny, wise and outgoing; the two girls become inseparable. But as their friendship deepens into romance, the relationship takes a dangerous turn. It is against the law to be a homosexual in Iran; the punishment is death. Despite their efforts to keep their love secret, the girls are discovered and arrested. Separated from Sadira, Farrin can only pray as she awaits execution. Will her family find a way to save them both?

Deborah Ellis is the internationally acclaimed author of nearly thirty books for children and young people, most of which explore themes of social justice and courage. A peace activist, feminist, and humanitarian, Deborah has won many national and international awards for her books, including the Governor General’s Award, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award, the American Library Association’s Notable List and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. In 2010, she received the Ontario Library Association President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement. Deborah lives in Ontario, Canada.